


Sparkles, Moonlight, and Tuna Sandwiches

by ebbet



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Bisexual Ginny Weasley, F/F, Football | Soccer, Getting Together, Lesbian Luna Lovegood, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Texting, minor discussion of character death (pre-fic)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 19:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20680706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebbet/pseuds/ebbet
Summary: Ginny Weasley loves soccer. Ginny Weasley does not love Anthro 101. Luckily, she's found a study buddy.





	Sparkles, Moonlight, and Tuna Sandwiches

**Author's Note:**

> I set this in the USA. Completely un-beta'd. Let me know if there are egregious errors.
> 
> For ER, my fellow useless bi. I promised you some Linny, so this one shot will have to do for now.

_3:54 pm, September 1 — group chat transcript_

**Ginny: **oH my god how do you unenroll from a class

**Angelina:** …..aren’t you taking pre-reqs this term?

**Ginny:** … yes

**Cho: **you shouldn’t unenroll, pre-reqs are super hard to get into later

**Katie:** what’s the problem weasley

**Ginny**: …..uh nvm

**Alicia:** did baby w do something wrong

[two people are typing]

**Angelina:** ALICIA WE PROMISED REMEMBER ITS HAZING

**Ginny:** nO it’s FINE

**Alicia:** sry did u do something wrong gin

**Cho:** dw it’s fine no one was paying attention it’s the first day

**Ginny: **uH i think i might have 

**Ginny**: like

**Ginny: **…..

**Katie:** ???????

**Ginny:** I think I ??? told the TA to fuck off??

**Angelina:** …. Ok, we’re meeting at Simmons in 5 k 

* * *

_4:03 pm, September 1_

Angelina curled her hands around a paper cup of coffee and blew across its surface. Cho had crossed her legs on the tiny stool and was balancing her tea on one knee. 

“So, how did this happen, exactly?”

Ginny rolled her eyes and tugged the sleeves of her college sweatshirt down over her hands.

“I don’t know,” she said in a strained tone. “Like, I was one minute late and the only seat left was right at the front of the auditorium so I was going to stand in the back, and then the prof like, gestured for me to come down there so I was like, going, right?”

She paused and scrunched her nose up. Katie and Alicia leaned in. Ginny took a breath, relieved that her teammates were always supportive—even if she suspected they’d troll her about this. 

“But the seat was next to this girl who’d like, put a bunch of like, shit on it? Like, proper weird shit, like a branch? Of leaves? And like a big pair of heart sunglasses? And then, I don’t know, I guess I was looking at the shit too much, because I fucking tripped over someone’s bag and fucking—” Ginny buried her face in her hands.

“Gin,” Angelina said. “It’s ok. No one noticed. I guarantee.” 

Cho nodded, her face serious. “Yeah, once I went into a CS lecture with toilet paper on the back of my pants. No. One. Said. Anything.” 

Ginny sighed and uncovered her face. “Uh, yeah, I’m sure they noticed though. Because I fell literally into that girl’s lap, and then got up and this fucking dickwad with one of those tiny waxed mustaches was like ‘Watch your balance,’ and I just kinda said ‘fuck you,’ you know? But like, everyone laughed.” 

Katie’s eyes widened. Ginny groaned. “And then like, two minutes later, he’s introduced as the fucking TA. He’s gonna kill me.”

“Or fail you,” Alicia said, licking foam off the inside of her drink’s lid. 

Angelina punched her in the thigh.

“Fuck, Johnson! Not in the quad! I’m still so sore from yesterday!”

“What class is this?”

“Anthro 101.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Katie said with a shrug. “Anthro’s easy. I was afraid it was gonna be, like CS.”

“Katie, babe,” Alicia said. “Shut up. Ginny’s stressing and it’s like, not helpful.” Katie stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend. 

Angelina sighed. “Look, you’ll get through it. Maybe you won’t be in his section.”

“Not with my luck,” Ginny said and buried her nose in her hot chocolate. 

* * *

_September 8_

Ginny, three minutes late because fucking Alicia had mouthed off and earned them an extra set of suicides, slid into the seminar room, grabbed the nearest chair, and sat down. 

Then she looked up, straight into the eyes of Evil Mustache Dude. 

“Nice of you to join us … Miss Weasley,” he said, flicking through his attendance sheet. 

Ginny fought a groan and said, “Nice to see you again.”

They went around the table and introduced themselves. Ginny learned that the blonde girl with the branch and the sunglasses—today she had purple glittery sunglasses perched on top of her head—was named Luna. 

Luna had a soft voice and she offered up as her fun fact that she’d been homeschooled and had once seen Bigfoot.

“That’s two facts,” Evil Mustache Dude (Bryan, Ginny thoughty vaguely). 

“The second one’s not really a fact,” some blonde kid in a green polo shirt offered. 

Luna tilted her head. “I don’t remember seeing you there,” she said quietly. Ginny snorted, then turned it into a cough when Chadley or whatever glared at her too. 

The rest of the session was boring. They’d had to read the first chapter of the textbook, and Bryan just asked them the summarizing questions, like, directly from the book. Ginny rolled her eyes at Luna, who seemed like the only vaguely interesting one. 

The minute Bryan said he’d email them next week’s reading assignments (_Don’t we have a syllabus, _Ginny thought), Ginny was out of her seat. She shoved her handouts into her team backpack and sprinted off towards the bathroom. 

She was still in the bathroom stall when she heard a voice saying, “Bryan doesn’t seem very open to intellectual discourse.” 

“Uh, what?” Ginny said. Was that Luna? 

“He’s a bit boring,” the voice said, and Ginny was starting to feel sure. “Don’t you think, Ginny?”

Wait, how did she know that? Had she followed her? 

“Your backpack, which is on the floor, has your name on it,” Luna said, when Ginny emerged from the stall. Luna pointed one long finger (with green nail polish and short nails, Ginny noticed) at said backpack.

Ginny washed her hands. She didn’t know what to say. 

This didn’t seem to bother Luna, who was busy pushing pins into her long blonde hair. She just kept rambling about how she wasn’t sure if Bryan was ready to accept that there were still pagans, rather than speaking about Them in an Abstract Manner. 

Ginny shifted from foot to foot. 

Luna looked up and caught her eyes in the mirror. “Want to get lunch?”

Ginny blinked. She didn’t know her. She was supposed to get lunch with the team. 

“Uh,” Ginny said. 

Luna was shaking her head. “I’m sure you already have friends. It’s fine.”

“Hey, no,” Ginny said, pulling out her phone. “I’m going to need a study buddy. I’m pretty sure Bryan wants to flunk me already.”

Luna’s smile glowed.

* * *

_1:07 pm, September 8 — group chat transcript _

**Angelina: **GINS WHERE ARE YOU we missed you at lunch

**Ginny: **shit my text didn’t send

**Ginny: **i got lunch with a girl in my anthro section

**Katie:** fun ;) is she cute

**Ginny: **i need a study buddy katie shut up 

* * *

_October 13_

By late September, Ginny and Luna had fallen into a pattern on Tuesday: section, then lunch, then library until Ginny’s afternoon practice. Luna liked tuna sandwiches with sour gummy worms. Ginny had gagged the first time. But by the fourth week, Ginny trusted Luna enough to take a bite. She regretted it. 

But the strange girl was growing on her. She’d grown up with two academic parents who’d dragged her all over the world on archaeological digs. She liked glitter and didn’t like dirt. Or people who were mean to worms. Or anything even remotely stressful. She loved conspiracy theories and orange soda and the mouthfeel of eating too many sprinkles. 

Luna was a respite from the soccer girls. Angelina was supportive but she kind of had to be; she’d been dating Ginny’s older brother since her freshman year. And she was the team captain. Katie and Alicia and Cho and the rest were all great. But she spent so much time with them anyway. And Luna had chosen her. There was no reason they had to be friends. 

She’d pulled things out of Ginny that no one else had noticed. That Ginny always tapped her right foot, but not her left. That she wore her hair in a ponytail and never a bun. That there was an older brother Ginny didn’t talk about. She’d even come to one of Ginny’s games wearing the school colors in facepaint, waving a handmade banner that sported Ginny’s name and a really badly painted soccer ball. Alicia had elbowed her hard. But she hadn’t seen her after the match. Luna thrust the banner at her after their next section. Kind of like how an alien would draw a soccer ball, Ginny thought later, as she tacked it above her bed in her dorm.

They’d never been to each other’s rooms, never hung out when they weren’t talking about anthropology. But Tuesdays were quickly becoming Ginny’s favorite day.

And then one day, Luna wasn’t in section. 

“Where’s your girlfriend, Weasley?” Chadley snarked. 

“Fuck off,” Ginny said. _She isn’t my girlfriend, _she wanted to say. _We’re just friends. _But a dickwad who thought all female soccer players were automatically lesbians didn’t deserve a response. 

Not that she wasn’t queer. She was definitely bi. But Luna wasn’t her girlfriend. But she suddenly couldn’t sit still until she knew Luna was ok. 

_10:03 am, October 13 — messages to Luna_

**Ginny:** hey where are you? are you ok?

_11:23 am_

**Ginny:** seriously, are you ok? I’m worried now luna

_11:25 am_

**Ginny:** i’m not mad the last one sounded mad i’m just worried sorry

_11:37 am_

**Ginny:** i’m bringing you a tuna and gummy sandwich ok

Sandwich in her backpack, Ginny swiped into the hall she knew Luna lived in. Luckily, an overeager resident advisor had made cutesy signs for each door, so Ginny wandered around until she came across a Pikachu labelled “Luna L.” 

She knocked and said, “Hey, Luna, it’s me, Ginny.”

There was no noise from within.

Ginny texted again: _hey I’ve got a sandwich for you im outside ur room_

The door opened a little and a hand shot out. Ginny recognized Luna’s skinny white arm, bedecked with colorful bracelets. (“I made them for myself,” Luna had said one day when she caught Ginny staring. “I read about it in a book when these girls went to sleepaway camp. I never went. So I just made some for myself.”) 

“Wait, it’s in my bag,” Ginny said. “Can I come in?”

The door opened further and the light from the hall streamed into Luna’s dark room. Her hair hung down on either side of her face. She pulled the sleeves of a lumpy wool sweater over her hands. Luna’s eyes were red and her nose was shiny. 

She’d been crying, Ginny realized. 

“Oh, hey,” Ginny said, and held her arms open. Luna shuffled forwards and Ginny wrapped her arms around her. It was a bit odd, because Ginny had tried to go up for the hug but Luna was taller than her. But it was nice. Ginny inhaled Luna’s smell. It was flowery and a bit chemical. 

She realized Luna was crying again when she felt a tear slide down her own cheek. 

“Hey, hey,” she said comfortingly, rubbing Luna’s back. “It’s ok.”

“It’s not,” Luna said in a choked voice. She stepped back a bit and rubbed the snot away from her nose. She laughed suddenly and grabbed for a tissue, then leaned against her bed, blowing her nose. 

“Uh, can I ask what happened?” Ginny set her backpack down on the floor. She wasn’t sure if she should get out the tuna sandwich and the gummy worms. 

Luna stared at the floor for a bit and then said, “It’s the anniversary of the day my mom died.”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” Ginny said. She hadn’t known Luna’s mum had died. Luna talked about her like she was still alive, still doing archaeology. Or had she? Had Ginny just not noticed? Fuck, she was a shitty friend. 

Ginny was dying to ask. But she knew she couldn’t. 

So she just dug out the sandwich and gummies and handed them to Luna, who tilted her head at them as though she’d never thought of the combination before. 

“Eat it?” Ginny said. “You like it.” She couldn’t stop her nose from wrinkling. 

Luna nodded and pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. She stared down at the sandwich for a moment before methodically arranging the gummy worms on the tuna. She bit into it and closed her eyes. Ginny could see she was crying again. 

“Hey,” Ginny mumbled, and went closer to Luna. She didn’t know what to do. But she couldn’t stand seeing Luna so sad. 

“I should be over it,” Luna said after she swallowed. “It was five years ago.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“There’s not a timeline to grief,” Ginny said. She thought of her brother Fred. The car crash. The memorial. George’s alcoholism. His soccer scholarship threatened. Rehab. Angelina crying. Little flashes in her mind. Jagged memories. She swallowed and said, “I don’t want to butt in, but one of my brothers died, and like, it just comes back at the weirdest times.” She paused and felt like she was a huge idiot. “I mean, this isn’t a weird time, because it’s the anniversary. But like …” Ginny trailed off. She was such a fucking idiot. 

Luna was nodding. Ginny went closer and leaned against the bed. Luna patted the bed next to her. Luna finished the sandwich while swinging her feet off the side of the bed. 

They sat there for a long time in silence. 

Then Ginny’s phone went off and she realized she was fucked. She was late for practice. 

She pushed herself off the bed and said, “I’m sorry, I have to go to soccer. I’ll come back later, ok?”

Luna shook her head. “It’s fine, you have stuff to do.”

Ginny stared up at her. “Not important stuff,” she said finally. 

Luna’s mouth quirked, but she didn’t quite smile. 

Ginny sprinted to practice. Her heart felt heavy and light at the same time. 

Three hours later, she was back in Luna’s room, her arms wrapped around the blonde girl as she continued to cry. Ginny hadn’t known that one person could contain that many tears. Eventually, Luna had curled into the fetal position and Ginny lay, one arm protectively curled under Luna’s. 

They were spooning, she realized, and felt a hot flush shoot through her body. That response was completely inappropriate. Luna was her friend who was also going through shit. But she didn’t mind when Luna wiggled back into her. God, she was such a bad person. 

The next morning, Luna was a bit more composed, and Ginny walked her to class after breakfast.

“Hey,” Luna said, grabbing Ginny’s wrist. “Thanks for staying.” Before Ginny could form a response, Luna bent down and kissed her cheek and rushed inside the physics building. 

Ginny stood there, her hand to her cheek. 

* * *

_11:12 am, October 14 — texts to Katie Bell _

**Ginny: **hey katie 

**Ginny:** uh

**Ginny:** has a straight girl ever kissed you

**Ginny:** like

**Ginny:** platonically as a thank you

**Ginny: **ON THE CHEEK

**Ginny:** nOT ON THE MOUTH

**Katie: **uh was this at a frat party

**Ginny: **NO IT WAS OUTSIDE RUSSEL LIKE THREE MINUTES AGO

**Katie: **uh huh idk kid

**Katie: **sounds a little gay tho 

Ginny pushed her phone into the waistband of her leggings. Huh. 

* * *

_October 31 _

They’d always done team outfits, Ginny was told. She rolled her eyes at Cho, who was currently pulling Ginny’s red hair into a sideways pony. 

“It hurts,” Ginny whined.

Cho rolled her eyes. “You’re such a baby. Didn’t your brothers pull your hair?”

“No,” Ginny said. “They knew Mum would smack them.”

Cho laughed. “My sisters are merciless. Helen cut off one of my pigtails once because I didn’t let her have the last mooncake.”

“Yikes,” Ginny said with a grimace. 

It was an 80s theme. Gross. Legwarmers and spandex in a frat basement was going to be so sweaty. 

Ginny posed for the photos, accepted a red solo cup of what was called jungle juice (grim, she thought, after a sip revealed some kind of melange of orange juice and Fireball), and watched her teammates absolutely crush the men’s team at pong. 

Cho screamed in delight as Angelina spun her around. 

“God, my girlfriend’s ripped,” an awed voice next to Ginny said, and then George was giving her a noogie. 

“Fuck off, Porge!” she yelled, attempting to get out from under his arm and spilled her beer all over.

All over the floor. 

And someone’s boat shoes. 

Ginny and George’s heads rose slowly. And then they were both staring into the eyes of Cedric Diggory, lacrosse star and frat president. 

Who apparently wasn’t a huge asshole, because he held out a fist for Ginny to bump. 

“Baby Weasley,” he said. “Nice to meet you.” He and George bumped fists.

“Didn’t know you were back on campus,” Cedric said to George. Ginny stilled. She hadn’t known either. 

“Yeah,” George said, his eyes suddenly on Angelina. “Halloween. Wanted to come up.” 

Cedric gave George a long stare. “Are you allowed? With the academic probation?”

George laughed and his hand tightened on Ginny’s arm. “As long as I don’t get into any more shit. I’m not drinking, dude. That shit’s in the past.” He let out another laugh. 

Cedric smiled. “Good, good. Let me know if anyone hassles y’all.” With a final nod at the two of them, he headed behind the bar to shoo Katie off the keg. 

Ginny looked up at her brother. “It’s fine?” she said. She didn’t want to say anything else. Her voice was quivering.

George ran one hand across his cropped hair. “Yeah, Gin, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” He pinched her cheek and then Angelina saw him and screamed. 

A few hours later, Ginny was leaning across the bar yelling to Cedric about school. He hadn’t made a pass at her, something that made a little more sense when he told her his major was Women and Gender Studies. So he wasn’t a complete frat star. Even if he had just opened a bottle of beer with his back teeth.

The opening strands of Kelsea Ballerini’s “Dibs,” began playing on the speakers and Cedric rolled his eyes. “Someone’s gotten the aux,” he said with a grin. “It’s that time of night.”

He’d just headed for the stairs when Cho barreled down yelling “Pizza!” and Ginny saw the two of them collide and then stand absolutely stock still.

She’d never seen two people fall for each other before. 

It was like a forcefield, the way Cedric looked down at Cho and she looked up at him, pizza in hand, and then he was saying something to her and she was talking back and Ginny felt her throat tighten.

She felt like she’d something almost dirty. Crunching the rim of her cup, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through the groupchat. Drunk rambling. Pizza selfies. 

And then there was a text from Luna — _what are you doing rn? _And Ginny typed back quickly, _bored at psi chi everyone he making out gros pukke_

Luna responded with a crying-laughing emoji and _are youDRUNK _

_N o mayBE YEAH, _Ginny wrote back, grinning at her phone. 

_Come to the eco house, _Luna wrote, _we have absinthe and vegan cookies _

Ten minutes later, Ginny was knocking on the door of the environmental student organization house with a rising sense of panic. She didn’t do, you know, drugs, and there was a strong smell of weed emanating from the clapboard structure.

A tall, bearded dude opened the door and waved Ginny in. 

“Luna?” she yelled. The bass was thumping louder than a frat. “She’s like blonde?”

The guy shrugged and went upstairs. He was barefoot. Yikes. But as Ginny made her way through the house, she noticed that the floor was way less sticky than a frat. 

She edged into the main room, bathed in purple light, and stopped still. 

Luna was dancing. 

Her arms were wildly akimbo but she was swaying along to the bass and had her eyes closed. Her long hair swung around behind her. 

And she was wearing some kind of silver bodysuit that made Ginny’s palms damp. 

Ginny had never seen anyone that beautiful. 

She opened her eyes, saw Ginny, and floated over. 

“Nice,” she said, tugging on the end Ginny’s ponytail and leading her to the kitchen. It was quieter there. “Legwarmers are quite practical. You’re very sensible.” She looked Ginny up and down and Ginny was suddenly sweating more than she had in the frat basement. 

“What are you?” Ginny managed.

“Oh,” Luna said and spun around slowly. “I’m a moon dancer.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow. 

“Like, we dance to make sure the moon keeps going to fruition.” Luna paused and her brow crinkled. “It’s not really a costume-costume, because I do it once a month, but my hallmate said it was cute and weird.” She shrugged her shoulders and offered Ginny a cookie.

“Does this have, like,” Ginny said and trailed off, holding the cookie with two fingers.

Luna tilted her head. “No, it’s egg-free.”

“No, like,” Ginny lowered her voice to a whisper, “weed.”

Luna’s laugh was so bubbly. “No, silly, it’s from the co-op.” She stopped and looked at Ginny with a serious expression. “I wouldn’t get you cross-faded,” she said with a scowl on her face. 

They spent the rest of the evening hunched over the cookies in the kitchen. Luna’s dorm was closer, so it was logical for Ginny to walk her back. And it was cold, which was why Luna tucked Ginny into her velvet cloak. And why Luna reached for her hand and held it the whole way. 

* * *

_2:01 pm, November 3 — text exchange_

**Alicia:** hey baby wheeze who’s the girl you’re holding hands with outside the library

_2:23 pm _

**Ginny:** what?

**Alicia:** yall are cute 

**Alicia:** but why didn’t u tell ur big gay teammate

**Ginny:** we’re not together 

**Alicia:** uh ok 

**Ginny:** she’s just affectionate 

**Alicia:** ya ok she stared at you as you were going up the stairs so uh

**Alicia:** see you at practice 

* * *

_7:05 pm, November 13 — group chat transcript_

**Angelina:** YOU NEED TO SEND YOUR DATE’S NAME TO CHO NOW. RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE ALL LATE @ginny @alicia @katie @robin 

**Alicia:** katie and i are going together duh 

**Angelina:** JUST FUCKING SEND IT TO CHO OK I DON’T WANT TO LOSE OUR DEPOSIT

**Katie:** ok i’ll do it @alicia

**Alicia:** thanks babe love u 

**Katie**: love u too goon

**Angelina: **get A ROOM BUT NOT AT FORMAL OK

**Angelina:** @robin @ginny PAGING THE FRESHERS PLZ RESPOND tO CHOS EMAILS

**Robin:** i just texted cho

**Cho:** can you all please EMAIL ME i’m making a spreadsheet 

**Angelina:** @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny @ginny 

**Ginny:** i don’t have a date

**Alicia: **WHAT ABOUT HAND GIRL

**Angelina:** WHO IS HAND GIRL 

**Katie:** or kiss girl ???????

**Angelina:** KISS GIRL WHO IS KISS GIRL WHO IS HAND GIRL @ginny @ginny @ginny

**Cho:** IS IT THE SAME PERSON BABY WHEEze

**Ginny:** oh my GOD YOU GUYS fine but its jUST AS FRIENDS and dont BE FUCKING WEIRD OK 

**Ginny:** don’t SAY ANYTHING

**Ginny:** she’ll probably say no anyway

* * *

_7:16 pm, November 13 — text messages to Luna _

**Ginny:** hey we have a stupid soccer formal friday do you wanna come

_7:17 pm_

**Ginny:** its stupid you don’t have to come

_7:21 pm _

**Luna: **no id love to it sounds fun

**Ginny:** i didn’t tell you anything about it 

**Luna: **you'll be there

**Luna:** :)

Ginny put her head down on her desk and did some deep breathing. She was totally reading into that smiley face. 

* * *

_7:27 pm, November 13 — group chat transcript_

**Ginny: **i emailed cho everyone shut up 

**Angelina:** KISS GIRL HAND GIRL WHO IS THIS

**Katie:** she’s COMING SHES COMING

**Alicia:** cool we’ll ask her intentions regarding our firstborn

**Ginny: **OH MY GOD NO SHUT UP 

**Ginny: **im going to uninvite her if yall keep being LIKE THIS

**Cho: **luna’s a nice name

_[four people are typing]_

**Ginny: **CHO HOW COULD YOU

**Alicia: **BABY WHEEZE IM SO PROUD

**Katie:** lUNA I LOVE IT what a cute name i bet shes adorable wow 

**Angelina: **GINNY IM SO PROUD 

**Cho:** they’d find out on friday anyway

**Robin: **she’s in astro with me she has great outfits like she wore a beret last week 

**Ginny: **shut up robin

**Robin:** @ginny ok FINE i won’t sit next to ur gf tomorrow 

**Ginny: **PLZ DO NOT CALL HER MY GIRLFRIEND WE ARE FRIENDS

**Katie:** k babe whatever 

**Angelina:** BE RESPECTFUL GIRLS

**Angelina:** ok everyone go study before friday gets here 

* * *

_November 15 _

_I'll pick you up like 7:30 ok we have to be outside porky’s at 7:45 for the shuttle ok? Or we could just meet at porky’s whatever _Ginny typed and hit send, and then started wringing her hands. This was so dumb. 

She knew Luna. Why was she so nervous? 

It wasn’t a date. They hadn’t clarified that.

They hadn’t clarified that it wasn’t a date. 

It was just sort of … fancy hanging out. 

With Ginny picking her up. 

Maybe she didn’t know where Porky’s was. 

She also didn’t want Luna to show up alone and be subject to her teammates’ queries, which were sure to be invasive. The group chat hadn’t shut up about Ginny’s date since Cho had announced her name.

They realized Luna had published several children’s books on witches who cooked. They sent Ginny links to the reviews (glowing, of course). How her parents had developed several prominent theories about early hominid life (_I DIDNT REALIZE THEY WERE THOSE LOVEGOODS, _Cho texted). They’d uncovered how Luna’s mother had died by falling into a cenote on a dig in Mexico (Angelina had sent her that one privately with several heart emojis). 

Ginny knocked on Luna’s door at 7:28 and wiped her hands on her pants. She’d settled on a button down shirt and some nice pants. 

And then Luna wafted out of the door and Ginny felt incapable of speech.

She was so fucking beautiful.

She’d done her hair up and pinned in sparkling wire with little stars (_kind of like Christmas wrap,_ Ginny mused) and her floor-length dress was a taffeta that changed colors in the light between soft purple and green. And then she lifted her dress to show off glittery Converse sneakers and Ginny’s heart clenched.

“Hey,” Luna said, kissing Ginny on the cheek. “You look nice.”

Ginny cleared her throat. “Wow.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

“You look very clean,” Luna said, winding one arm around Ginny’s and settling her hand into Ginny’s. 

“Is that a compliment?” Ginny choked out. “Do I usually look … not clean?”

Luna laughed and bumped her forehead into Ginny’s shoulder. “No, silly.”

Ginny let out a humming noise. They walked to Porky’s in a comfortable silence, until Ginny saw the clump of her team and suddenly said in a panicked undertone, “Ok, so they’re probably going to be super nosy. Just ignore them.”

Luna smiled and said slowly, “I don’t have any secrets, Gin.”

Ginny narrowed her eyes. “I don’t either?” 

“Ok,” Luna said, and squeezed her hand.

Katie wolf-whistled as they approached and Cho was practically bouncing out of her heels. Angelina ran forward and engulfed both of them in a huge hug and whispered, “Your brother’s meeting us at the hotel, heads up!” 

Ginny tried not to roll her eyes. Great. Now her entire family was going to be fucking nosy about Luna too. 

The girls—and George—were surprisingly chill the entire evening, sticking to polite questions about Luna’s major (astronomy with an anthro minor), her family (_didn’t they already know enough, _Ginny thought while tearing a bread roll in two), and how she and Ginny met. 

“She just fell into my lap!” Luna said with a giggle. “And I’d literally just done a spell to find a girlfriend!” 

Ginny choked on her water. _A what?!_

Katie smirked and Alicia slung an arm around her. “So, like, y’all are together?”

Luna looked at Ginny and blinked a few times. “Yes?” she said hesitantly, one hand tugging at her earlobe. She did that when she was nervous.

Ginny was filled with a sense of incredible calm. 

She had a girlfriend. 

Luna was her girlfriend.

Luna. 

Luna. 

Luna was her girlfriend. 

Luna. 

Oh. Right. Answer the question. 

“Duh,” she said, and kissed Luna on the cheek. “My girlfriend is amazing.” 

Luna’s hand dropped from her ear and nestled into Ginny’s. 

Later that night, as they stood on the porch, Ginny felt like she had to confess. 

“Luna,” she said, watching how the moonlight reflected off the lake and onto Luna’s face. “I’m such useless bi.” 

“How, darling?” She’d started calling Ginny darling weeks ago. Ginny hadn’t thought twice about it.

“I—” she began stuttering.

“Hey,” Luna said, taking her hand again. “It’s ok. Whatever it is.”

“I didn’t realize we were dating,” Ginny blurted. “I’m such an idiot.”

Luna’s laughter was the best sound in the world. “I thought I was being so obvious! Like, I made you hold me when you came to my room!” she said, tucking her arms around Ginny’s waist. “I just thought you wanted to take things slowly!” 

“Oh my god,” Ginny said, dropping her head into Luna’s shoulder with a groan. “I’m so dumb.”

“Honey, you’re not dumb. I’m not good at talking about some things.” 

Luna’s eyes were dark. She ran her thumb across Ginny’s cheek. Ginny hummed and rose onto her toes to kiss her girlfriend. 

Their first kiss. In the moonlight. By a lake. 

Luna tasted slightly of lasagna and Dr. Pepper. Her lips were soft and the way her head tilted fit with Ginny, and then Ginny felt daring and she slipped her tongue inside and Luna moaned softly and bit Ginny’s bottom lip. She smelled soft and like promises made and kept. 

It was perfect. 

And then they broke apart to find the entire women’s soccer team and Ginny’s older brother staring at them from the sliding door into the ballroom and Ginny’s world filled with whoops and happiness.

That was perfect, too. 


End file.
